Escaping The Infernal Mark
by MaleficMistress
Summary: Kabuto Yakushi and Orochimaru are awake in a land far more dangerous than their own. Now they find themselves forced to escape the devils grasp as he places upon them a cursed mark meant to control them. Not only this but a blossoming romance finds its way into Kabutos heart. Please read and review.
1. Arrival

Kabuto Yakushi and Orochimaru are in the middle work with the curse mark until everything is turned upside down. Waking up in a land far more dangerous than their own they are forced to do battle with the devil himself to rid themselves of a cursed mark of his own and be free of his hold on them. To make matters worse, a blossoming romance complicates things for the pair, making the situation more desperate. Faced with fierce devils, the threat of loosing each other, and Lucifer pulling every string he can to capture their souls for eternity, see how Orochimaru and Kabuto fight to not only survive, but to earn their freedom.

Waking up with a heavy head Kabuto could immediately tell he wasn't where he should be. He had fallen asleep in his bed. Now he was on the ground, a hard rocky ground that smelled of charcoal and wet grass. A very horrible combination. Groaning a bit he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, taking it slow to make sure he himself was alright first. Sensing nothing wrong with his body he sat back on his heels and adjusted his glasses that had twisted a bit during his time unconscious. He looked around and out before him stretched large fields of tall grass and forests and mountains surrounding the entire area. The patch of ground he was on now though was one of the few bare spots in the area, very uncomfortable. The sky was a deep swirl of the twilight before the sun set, the blurring of purples and yellows stretched out as far as the eye could see.

It would have been a beautiful scenery had it not been for the powerful sense of danger that raced through the air. This place meant harm, and every red flag was erect in his mind. He dusted himself off and began looking around, trying to see anything past the forests and fields. Behind him there was in fact something to look into. A castle. It was very large and very old looking but for it's appearance it was standing strong. Only it wasn't the castle that was bothering him as much as the people; if they could even be called that, walking around the front gates.

What were these creatures? They resembled men, walking upright on two legs and they had two arms and single heads but everything else threw him off. Some of these men had great leather wings that stretched out far from their bodies while others had them more pulled inward, tucked to their sides. Some of them had great horns of all different kind sitting on different parts of their heads, a very common horn pair being small upward curved horns just above their temples. Claws could be seen at the ends of their fingertips as they marched around with giants swords and battle axes. Tails of all kinds swung in rhythm of their steps. However perhaps the most disturbing was the growls and snarls coming from them as they simply passed each other.

Where these shinobi? They didn't wear forehead protectors and he wasn't in any area that he recognized. Either way he had a sick feeling that approaching would be a bad idea. Suddenly he heard one call out loudly and dread began to well inside of his stomach. Turning back he could see the group turned towards where he was standing while one was rushing to meet him. Eyes wide he turned on his heel and began running, though he had to say he was grateful it was only one.

Rushing towards where the forest was he hoped he could use some of the trees to cover himself up and hide. Surely that would work, the beast didn't look very intelligent so hopefully he would barrel past him. Right? He jumped up high towards a single tree trunk that could rival the size of their own trees near the village and raced upward. Finally reaching a branch he began to hop along the canopy and hoped to use this to get away. The beast had no wings so it couldn't follow him by air. Only glancing down to see where he was all he could see was a flash of silver spinning wildly towards the branch he was headed straight for. He couldn't stop in midair and there were no other branches near by to use to bound away from. Bracing himself he watched as the branch was severed in half by the battle axe as he landed on it, both him and the limb spiraling down to the ground.

He never had a chance to even hit it as the beast literally tackled him in midair. He finally hit the ground on his side with the heavy creature on his ribs. He was certain a few of them would have cracked had he not landed the right way. With a hard turn he pushed himself onto his back and looked the beast in the eyes. The bright green orbs glared down at him as the beast reached around and unsheathed a larger than necessary dagger. Frowning, the young medic managed to wriggle free one of his hands. The other remained pinned by the crushing knee digging into his palm but that was alright. One hand was all he needed.

Displaying his chakra he leveled out his hand and before the beast could shove the blade into his stomach he sliced across the beasts stomach. A roar of pain was heard, making him almost visibility wince. It was an awful sound to be heard and it almost seemed to echo throughout the whole forest. While he was distracted with the severed arteries Kabuto pulled out a kunai knife and stabbed it upward into the throat of the howling creature. The howls stopped, being replaced by a strangled growl as it began to fall on top of him. Kabuto lifted his free arm out of the way and held his breath a bit as the creature finally collapsed on top of him.

With a heavy sigh he let his head fall back in relief. That almost ended badly. Finally gathering his nerves again he began to wriggle around until he free both of his arms. Placing his hands on the heavy beasts shoulders he managed to push him back and finally free himself. Sighing again he pushed himself back onto his knees and sat there for a moment, trying to come up with what he could do. He was definitely far from home, hell he was starting to think he wasn't even home. Where was he? How did he get here in the first place and where was Orochimaru? Surely the man was worried, throwing a fit, or both. After all they had just started work with the curse marks and prepping the two newest members, Sakon and Ukon.

Looks like he was taking a mini vacation until he figured out a way back. A final sigh was made to mostly just complain for a moment before he finally began pushing himself upright. However he never got more than halfway up before the back of his head was meet with a sharp blow. He gasped out and fell back onto his side, with flashes and lights dancing in his vision until it all began to blur together. He stayed like that for a moment until he heard laughter rumbling from behind him. Only it wasn't just one now, it was several.

He attempted to roll onto his back to at least see who his assailants were only to wish now he hadn't. An entire gang of the beasts were standing over him grinning wickedly. He frowned slightly but didn't dare move. At least until one of them grabbed a hold of his throat and easily lifted him high into the air over his head. He choked and coughed out, trying to kick out but knew it was useless. He was only making them laugh harder now. Grabbing onto the beasts wrist with both hands to at least try to support himself he stopped kicking and simply stared down hatefully to the beast who smiled wider as he spoke.

"Now what sort of human is foolish enough to be wandering around here all by himself?"

What was that supposed to mean? He had guessed these things weren't human but was it that unusual?

"What are you talking about?" he choked.

The beasts all chuckled but the grip loosened slightly, almost as if he weren't really trying to hurt him now, just hold him there and toy with him.

"You don't know? Just what in the world are you doing here human? Don't you know where you are?"

Kabuto managed to at least get the tip of his foot onto one of the belts around his attacker, mostly just another thing to keep him from simply dangling in the air like a flailing cot fish. The beasts didn't seem to really care about this either and let it happen.

"No...where am I? What are you people?" He hoped he would get answers and not just more laughter. Everything he did and said so far was just hilarious to them. As he predicted they all joined together in a group chuckle.

"Pitiful thing...you little human are in Hell...Lethe to be more specific. Lands for devils and demons of course. What did you think we were? Deformed?"

Kabuto eyes grew twice their size. Hell? Had he died? How did he get here, why was he here? What had happened in his sleep? These things were all devils? His panic was interrupted as a demon behind the one holding him spoke up.

"Enough talk, let's just kill him and get it over with!" He already had his weapon drawn and aimed for Kabuto but the one holding him moved him away from his own body and away from the blade much to Kabutos appreciation...expect now he had nothing to hold himself up with and was choking again. He felt that if this kept up he wouldn't be able to hold himself up for much longer. His arms were getting tired and the devils grip had unconsciously tightened around his jugular.

"No. You know what the master wants...we take him there and he will decide you idiot, do you want to get us all killed?"

The master? The actual devil did he mean? Great...just what did he do to deserve this? The demon looked satisfied with the answer however and lowered the blade. The group began to turn and head back towards the castle while the one holding him simply drug him along the ground that way. Kabuto winced and tried to lift himself up as best he could to try to dodge the rocks and twigs that snapped and dug into his back, ripping a bit of his clothing in the process. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

The trip seemed to take even longer now. He didn't know if they were going slow on purpose or because of the fact he had raced away in a dead sprint...probably a bit of both. These things got too much enjoyment from watching his struggle to save the skin on his back. His chakra was having a hard time keeping up with healing himself as well due to the consistent re tearing.

Finally he could at least feel stone and started to be revealed since they were on the castle floor...but his relief was once again shattered when he felt the bumps of stairs bruising his back. He wondered how torn up he probably looked back there by now. Not to mention all of the dirt and dust that was probably caking around the entrances to the wounds. Being a medical ninja this along bothered him worse than almost passing out to due lack of air.

Suddenly he was dropped and the back of his hair was seized, pulling his head back painfully. He was being kept on his knees but that was alright. It gave him some time to try to work with restoring the damage done to his back. Through clenched teeth from his hair follicles screaming in protest, he looked up at a pair of large wooden doors. This must be where the devil himself resided. He glanced around and noticed something that peeked his interest a bit. The demons around him were all standing behind the one holding him and their stances were changing. Their tails which were once high and even wagging in excitement, were now low and dragging on the ground. Their long pointed ears which also were once high and erect, were pinned back against their heads. Their heads even were tilted down slightly and their shoulders were all raised in defense.

It made sense they were all nervous but to him the stances all seemed exaggerated. Then again this was a trained eye he was seeing with. He had heard plenty of stories of course as far as myths and such goes but just how bad was this guy? Bad enough to submit all of these once rambunctious and energetic group in a single instant, that alone spelled trouble. He had to admit the air around them was all thick and heavy, making it difficult to even breath. He felt like he was suffocating. The fear alone was welling up inside of him and nobody had even knocked on the door yet!

Finally the one holding him stuck out an unsure fist and pounded on the door, the knocks echoing through the empty hallways and making some of the others jump and shift their weight around nervously. None of them looking like they wanted to be there. A voice could be heard on the other end. A powerful but somewhat soft voice that sounded slightly annoyed.

"Yes?"

The devil cleared his throat and spoke, his own tone much softer and quieter than when he had spoken to Kabuto. "We have a prisoner for you M' Lord."

Kabuto listened carefully as he could hear not just footsteps but dragging sounds. Something else was moving inside of there with him. A loud click was heard. The lock being unlatched he imagined. The devil pushed open the doors and lifted Kabuto up onto his feet suddenly, making him hiss in pain from his now tender scalp being jerked. He moved with the group and peered inside of the room, his pulse suddenly quickening when he looked at the man.


	2. Trapped

Standing before him now was a tall slender built man. Bright golden eyes, slitted pupils that stared into his own doe sized irises. Blonde hair that fell into elegant curls around his face, resting lightly on his shoulder. A set of buffalo shaped horns, with a smaller set of horns protruding from the base of the first set. Three pairs of dark grey wings, that were pulled in a loose fold against his back. The wings were feathered but about mid way down the feathers seemed to have molded off and revealed a scale like texture in it's place. A long snake like tail twitched back and forth beneath the robe. The robe itself was black with strange red markings in a set of patterns along the sleeves and trim.

He stared at Kabuto with an amused grin along his handsome face. The appearance alone wasn't enough to frighten Kabuto. Hell appearance wise he looked harmless. However the air around him spoke loudly. He was dangerous, cold, and calculating. Someone to be wary of and quite safely feared. As if this weren't bad enough the creature behind him certainly was icing atop of the cake. A very large sized serpent. Well twice the size of an average man. A dark red orange colouring fell along the scales, bright yellow eyes that stared at him with an equally cold stare as any enemy he had faced that day.

The man stepped forward and tilted his head at the young man. He spoke with a calm voice and clasped his hands behind his back. "Well now just who might you be?"

Kabuto swallowed a lump in his throat and found his voice after two failed attempts. "Kabuto Yakushi. Who are you?"

The man seemed very amused by the question, his eyes giving him away and yet his face was calm. "Lucifer. Now what exactly are you doing in a place like this Kabuto? Were you not aware of the dangers?"

Kabuto stared at him for a moment, finally shaking his head for his answer. "I'm not even sure how I arrived here. I'm a long way from home and I mean no harm, I only wish to go back." As if it would be that easy.

Like he predicted the man chuckled and shook his head. "You speak as if you _could_ do harm young human. Yes, I bet you wish you could go back don't you? Just where exactly is it you come from?"

"The shinobi village hidden in the sound." Somehow he wasn't even sure this man would know where that even was. Not if he was in hell that is.

Once again the horned head was tilted to the side. "I'm afraid I do not follow Kabuto...shinobi. A term I am ignorant to I'm afraid. No matter...I'll tell you what. Why don't we get you comfortable and I'll look into this." A dangerous smile formed and Kabuto immediately knew to be even more alert now. God why couldn't he just let him go? Oh right, this was the devil.

He felt the devils that were holding him start to pull him back and he began to struggle again. He knew this wasn't a smart choice but he also knew he couldn't just sit there and do nothing. A sharp pain hit the top of his head and he knew it belonged to one of the devils fists. Another flash of coloured dots exploded in his vision but he continued trying to get himself free of the grasp.

The attempts were useless however as he was dragged away as easily as brought. He tried to watch his surroundings enough to try to map out where he was so if he did manage to get free he would know the paths to take to the doors. However as another door opened his hope was crushed. A dungeon no doubt judging from the smells...the sudden lack of light was also a clue.

A few torches were burning along the side of the walls, creating a bit of a pathway for them. Just enough to see where you were walking. He glanced around and was almost sick at his stomach. The scent of blood and grim assaulted his senses as his eyes wandered to the other prisoners. An even mixture of humans and demons. Most of the humans were suspended in the air in some horrid way, a popular way being their wrists chained together above their heads, their feet dragging along the ground. He looked at one man in particular. Alone in his own cell and lying down along a dirty table, a thin set of spikes jutting from his arms and legs. The poor mans face was twisted in pain but he was perfectly still, knowing well if he moved he would be tearing himself to bits.

Kabuto's brow furrowed in disgust as he was dragged to his own cell. A group of three devils were already inside and upon seeing the locks being unhinged, they all stood. Their ears and tails being erect told Kabuto they were rather interested to _meet_ him. With a rough shove he was tossed inside of the cell, nearly falling but managing to catch himself with a short stumble. He stood facing the three as they all began grinning.

"Well well looky what we have here! A new toy to play with!"

Kabuto glared and faced the one speaking. Each of the creatures began to surround him. Officially having enough of being beaten around he drew out a pair of kunai knives. Holding them out in front of him he finally spoke more firmly than he had the entire ordeal. "Leave me be...I don't want to fight."

Clearly they had other ideas. The small group sprung forward, forcing Kabuto to once again fight for his life. Thankfully these seemed much weaker than the ones before. Not that it much mattered since he himself was growing tired. Dancing back and forth around the small cell he fought the creatures that mostly stuck to hand to hand combat with him. Though their teamwork made things very difficult so far he felt that he was holding his own. However even he knew his time would be up if he couldn't stop them. Lucifer wouldn't simply come down and break apart a fight and nor would the guards. They only stood watching the display with amusement in their eyes, though their faces were stoic and cold.

Quite frankly he was sick of being nothing but a joke to these creatures. He may have only been a genin in his world but even then he fought well along a jonin level and was classified as a dangerous medical nin, his skill rivaling that of the great slug queen, Tsunade. Baring the self centered logic in his mind he frowned deeply and began trying to calm himself back down. Getting angry and frustrated in battle would only get him killed faster. His breath was coming in and out of his mouth in raged huffs which was alright since the same was true for his opponents.

Finally he stepped back and held up his weapons in a more defensive manner, once again trying reason. "Stop this...you don't have to fight me, there is no point to this."

The group glared as one lashed out again, catching the kunai knife between his claws. Unfortunately Kabuto couldn't defend fast enough as one finally bounced forward, his hand stretching out. Kabuto leaned his head backwards as far as he could but he was still caught in the swipe. The dark claws raked across his face in three interrupted line across his cheeks and nose, nearly catching his glasses with them. He managed to turn his head with the strike to at least save his precious rims and a bit of his skin as the blood began to flow down his face.

"Shut up you little worm!"

He glared at the demon that managed to deal the forceful blow and sighed heavily. Once more starting to feel the urge to let loose on these guys in a careless frenzy. He rarely lost his cool but dealing with such hot headed brutes was grinding on his nerves. Never before had he seen creatures whose only drive in existence was fighting to the death, no matter who it was, or what odds might be against them. It was foolish and he wondered how these species were even still alive. If there were more like Lucifer it would be more believable but so far every other devil he had meet only wanted to fight. This was a slap to evolution and all logic.

Stepping back again and dodging another blow from the third demon he soon wished he hadn't. Now he was in the back of the room in a far corner. Every way of getting around them blocked off as they spread apart from each other, ready to catch him if he made a move. They were far enough away to give him some breathing room but close enough to where if one attacked with a well aimed kick it would catch him. He gripped the kunai knives tightly in his hands and waited patiently for one of them to move. He felt very tired as his chakra level was starting to decrease as well from all the healing he had to do for himself. Some expert. The most important thing for a medial ninja to be able to do is evasion. Well so much for that. He had been beaten around so many times today he had lost count how many times he had to close the same wound over and over again. Hell he was still at work on closing his back from being dragged around the forest and stone floors!

He knew running out of chakra would be his demise so he had to save it as much as he could for any vital wounds that might be inflicted. God how he wished Lord Orochimaru was here with him. He would know what to do. That man had almost any answer a person could want, surely he would know a quick way to escape. Hell if Kabuto had to he'd almost bet that Orochimaru could be on par with Lucifer in a battle of wits. After all the two were oddly similar not counting the physical appearance and their odd similarities and attractions to snakes. He remembered feeling the same sort of fear towards his boss until he began working with him as closely as he does now.

What an odd time to think about such a thing...still it was a bit of a nice distraction for his mind. Something to help keep him calm. Thinking about the man seemed to settle his nerves...the exact opposite of almost everyone else who meets and talks with him. He knew Orochimaru wasn't truly the way everyone always made him out to be. Well...he was but he had his reasons and he had his secret sides as well. Though he really only showed that side to Kabuto he couldn't blame him for being so guarded. In a shinobi world you had to be guarded. You always had to watch other people and your own backside. It was strange to think that he finally found a world to rival that. For very different reasons but it was equally if not more dangerous. Shinobi fought in many ways and while some ways were predictable and easy to counter, others weren't. These creatures seemed to fight the same way. Teamwork and consistent movement. They never let up and they seemed to know exactly what the other would do and how to compliment it.

This was the style of fighting that Kabuto couldn't really stick to for long periods of time. He was almost to his limit, though fairing well the fights always seemed to be back to back, and that was wearing him down. Sweat covered his face, and his breath was unsteady and quick now. His arms began to shake a little and he could almost feel his carotid artery in quick strong pulses, making the skin around it sore and hampering his breath a bit.

The other demons were also out of breath but not nearly as much as he was. This was a bad situation. He didn't even notice the pair of footsteps approaching the bars of the cell he was so wrapped up in here and now. Suddenly he noticed that the body language drastically changed. Their ears and tail dropped while they all slunk to the other corner of the back of the cell across from him. Huddling in a tight group they were all snarling and growling at something. He began to try to look at what they were seeing but finally his body gave out. Falling to his knees he caught himself on his hands, hunched over and working to control his breathing.

Suddenly a very familiar voice broke his concentration.

"Dear god, what the hell is this! Kabuto-san are you alright!" It was Orochimaru. A wave of relief washed over him as he looked up to try to meet his agitated bosses gaze. Why was he there? How did he find him? He watched as the dark haired man turned towards Lucifer fiercely. "You will release him into my custody at once! Get him out of there, that is not where he belongs!"

Lucifer smirked a bit as his head cocked to one side. "Now now let's not get testy. After all nothing is yet set in stone, there for you are not yet permitted to have him. Bring me that elite soul you mentioned and you may have him, not before. That isn't how the deals work you see. As of now that boy is my property."

Kabuto frowned at the label and looked to his boss. "Orochimaru-sama...I'm alright, are you?" He wanted him to at least know he was making a good effort to fight back.

He met his gaze when he looked over to him and watched his shoulders seeming to slump. "I was fine until a few moments ago." He broke the eye contact and turned back towards Lucifer. "I've played your game this far, but I'm afraid I can't let this continue."

Kabutos head tilted slightly as he fought to stand back up onto his feet, using the walls for support. What game...just how long had he been at the castle?

Orochimaru continued, still managing to stare down the smirking devil. "When I brought him under my care, I promised to look after him. It will take some time to get the soul that I am promising you, give me Kabuto back so he may help me to get your prize, and I can have it to you. If I fail to get it to you, you can take my soul in its place."

Kabuto listened and his face dropped in horror. Give him his soul? Give him his soul to free him! He wouldn't hear of it! "Orochi-sama no please! I'm not worth it, you can't offer that to him!"

Lucifer folded his arms and shifted his weight to one side, obviously considering him. "Alright then, here's the deal. The soul and the female, I want them all within two weeks from today. You may take the boy along to speed up the process. If you fail me I will not only collect yours and your boys soul, but the soul of those oh so powerful teammates of yours. I believe I am being reasonable even offering you this much, let alone giving you the benefit of a doubt with such easy tasks. Now do we have a deal Orochimaru?"

Kabuto watched in horror but stopped when he saw something flicker in the eyes of his boss. He had thought of something? His face, once full of agitation was now calmer. Full of confidence. "Give me a sacrificial body, and I can get you a powerful soul by the end of the day. The soul of Hashirama, the first hokage, the founder of the most powerful hidden village in the world."

So he was planning that eh? Brilliant...Kabuto was still nervous of the deal but felt better about it. At least until he remembered the time limit. The end of the day? Dear god would he be able to do all of that by the end of the day for him? Normally this wouldn't trouble him so much but his bosses soul was on the line now. This was his partner and best friend. He couldn't let anything happen to him...hell it was probably already his fault he was in that situation in the first place. Had he just been more careful and not gotten caught at all perhaps they could have meet up together and found a way out by themselves.

Lucifer seemed very pleased by this offer. "Well well now, I believe that is more than doable. Once you have the soul secured a body will be waiting...I'll be watching."

Kabuto watched with a slight frown as the devil stuck out his hand to strike the deal but Orochimaru stood fast. "We can shake on it once Kabuto is safely outside of that cage. I'm no fool, and many of your tricks and negotiations are my own. We're too alike for me to trust you farther than I can throw you."

Had the situation called for it Kabuto would have laughed. That was his boss for you, nobody could beat him at his own game. He stood by the door and watched as the man smiled.

"Well aren't you just a clever one? Very well." Extending his hand out the cell door was forced open by some invisible force, the bars slamming loudly against the stone walls, causing himself to jump and the other demons to snarl louder.

With slow steps he managed to limp outside of the cage, the door slamming shut again behind him. He sighed heavily and felt his upper body beginning to sway a bit. He felt Orochimarus arms wrapped around him, holding him upright as he swayed further to one side. Wrapping his own arm around his bosses shoulders he fought to stay up on his own feet.

"Now...do not disappoint me," Lucifer warned.

Orochimaru didn't seem fazed by this and simply nodded. "I won't, let me return home and get you the female, plus a few preparations for Hashirama."

Lucifer smirked and stepped forward a bit, once again extending his hand to Orochimarus free arm. "Good...now to seal it." Taking his bosses hand in his own Kabuto watched as their hands were suddenly surrounded by a bright flame, a tinge of red smoke rising from the scorched flesh. Releasing him a second later another smirk was on the mans face. "This evening then."

Orochimaru nodded and reached for the collar of his shirt. It was them Kabuto noticed something. An amethyst crystal that was tied into a necklace around his bosses neck. When did he get that? He watched closely as when touched, chakra was being channeled through it. Not only that, but in a bright flash the pair of sound ninjas were now standing at the entrance to the sound village. Whatever had happened, it was obvious enough that Orochimaru had done something to gain that little treasure.

Now the task at hand. Shaking his head he began moving beside of his boss as they entered the layer. "How are we going to do this in one day?"

He listened as the man began chuckling. "Simple. We use a prisoner for the female, and resurrect the first using edo tensei. Weren't you paying attention? It will be easy. All I I need is to prepare a tag so that he can control Hashirama when brought back. You however will be staying here and getting rest."

He sighed a little but knew it was useless to argue with him. It was then he followed Orochimarus eyes to a mark on his palm. It was a satanic star that was burned into his skin, large enough to cover his entire palm. "Sir...I can't believe you just risked everything like that...is it painful?" He'd be shocked if it wasn't. After all it was burned on with hells fire...and there was something very eerie about it.

He glanced back over to Orochimarus face when he hummed a bit. "What do you mean? I don't feel anything. Is there something you can sense in it?"

At first Kabuto thought that he was probably just putting on a tough face like he typically did when he was hurt. Only this time, he could tell he was being totally honest with him. "It's a dark mark definitely there to do you harm at his will." That much he was sure of. After all, why else would he brand him when he struck the deal with him? More than likely to force him into submission if he failed his end of the bargain. "I can sense the two of you are connected in some way now. It's sort of frightening to think about but he is apart of you as long as that mark is there." Being a medical ninja he could tell things like this. That and his intuition was pushing this theory on him.

Orochimaru seemed to consider this as they made their way down the hallways, towards the labs. "An interesting concept. I can't even pick up on that, the energy is so different from anything here. Good thing this will be over fast."

Stepping inside of the labs Orochimaru lead him over to one of the gurneys, helping him to sit on top of it. "You have all you need here to fix yourself up as you need. I must start prepping the tag."

A simple nod and thank you would have been more than enough but something inside of Kabuto sparked. Before he could even think twice his hand reached out to the retreating man and took hold of his wrist gently, making him turn towards him with a questioning glance.

Feeling suddenly very small he hurried. "Thank you. I don't think he had any intention of letting me live had you listened to him." It shouldn't surprise him that only Orochi-fucking-maru would stand up to the devil like that kicking and screaming but boy was he ever grateful for that natural defiant streak he could get. He himself only saw it far more often then he would like when offering him liquid medicines. Sometimes his boss could be a child.

He watched a small smile cross his lips. "I promised to be you parent and your partner. What kind of partner just lets the other die off like that? I don't care what he calls himself, he's just a snake in the brush like me. I know his game too well to loose. Might not win, but I sure as hell won't loose."

Once again he turned to leave and Kabuto released his wrist to let him. With a tiny smile on his own lips he laid back on the gurney to rest for a few hours before he would start work on himself. He would need every ounce of strength he could muster if worse came to worse.


	3. Sealed Fate

The hours passed by slowly before Kabuto finally began to stir. At first he was bleary and disoriented, but then the events from the earlier hit his mind like a ton of bricks. With a startled gasp he jumped up from the gurney and raced towards where he hoped Orochimaru would be, his personal lab. "Orochimaru-sama!"

To his great relief the man stepped out of the doorway wearing a very confused expression. "What? What is it Kabuto-san, you look like you've seen an oni."

Kabuto smiled shyly and nodded his head slowly. "I was dreaming and became worried, I'm sorry." He looked over to the tagged kuni in his bosses hand. The tag used for edo tensei he could safely assume. Next he took a glance in his other hand, mildly surprised he didn't notice her before. A pale faced, and doe eyed kunoichi bound and gagged was standing near his side. One of the prisoners no doubt. Adjusting his glasses he sighed softly. "Is this it then?" He surely hoped this would cover everything and they would never have to stand in that beasts presents again. Good and Evil were usually considered opinions...well in his own not so humble opinion he had stared evil in the face and lived to tell about it.

Orochimaru nodded his head to him. "I'm ready to go back but I think you should stay here. I just got you out of there and I don't want to run the risk of him trying anything funny." He nodded his head as if to punctuate what he said. "I'll go alone and return shortly. Don't worry about me until a few hours have passed, just to be safe."

Kabuto felt his stomach churn as worry washed over his features. "But sir...what if something _does_ go wrong. If you're alone I can't help you, I have no way to get to you." Of course what Orochimaru said was final but he desperately wanted to go with him. His own distrust of the man being the exact reason.

He watched his boss stare at him thoughtfully before speaking again. "What about you? What if he goes for you? You could be an aid or a potential burden. Youwere captured last time."

Kabuto glanced down shamefully but flicked his eyes back to Orochimaru's. "I understand but that's just it. If he does attack one of us the other can be there to aid. He caught me because I was alone facing an entire group of them. If you go alone and he attacks you; not that I am doubting your abilities what with you being a sannin, the risk still runs. I do not trust him to keep his word and let you walk away freely. Please, at least let me come in secret, surely he wouldn't notice me."

He watched as Orochimaru ran the idea through his head, silently hoping that he would have a change of heart. He hated the thought of letting him go there alone. Finally he sighed, catching Kabuto's immediate attention. "You may come, but your disguise better be flawless. I don't want to run the risk of him gaining the upper hand because if he can he will. He'll use it against me to the fullest." Pausing for a moment his eyes seemed to grow slightly frustrated. "I just can't believe I have to do this. I can't believe we wound up so far away from home for no reason."

Kabuto nodded understandingly as he worked out a disguise in mind, having memorized each detail of one of the demons that attacked him in the forest. "I understand sir, I won't let you down again. Strange though isn't it? No explanations what so ever and we wind up in a whole other world." A mystery to be pondered another time however.

Orochimaru nodded once more as he began channeling his chakra through the amethyst, activating it once more. "I'll have to inquire about this. For another time of course, right now I need to save my soul."

Kabuto stepped closer to him as the magic withheld in the amethyst began to take effect. Turning his head towards his boss he caught a faint glimpse of mischief. What was on his mind this time?

"Maybe after this I can go and see those naga."

Kabuto blinked once and shook his head, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Naga Sir?"

Before a response could be heard the bright light was once again seen, followed by the pair of men and captive standing outside of the castle a top of a hill several yards away. Kabuto took the time to transform into the demon. As his body became larger and more muscular a pair of great black wings spread from the bottom of his shoulders, large dark antlers sprouting from the top of his head, a long slender tail growing from the top of his rear end, sharp fangs and claws, topped off by a set of swords strapped across his back. Now he looked like most other demons in that world.

He glanced over as the kunoichi squirmed fearfully, whimpering softly as her gaze scanned across the red tinted world. She was silenced quickly by a firm shake by Orochimaru. "Hush!"

Kabuto meet his gaze when he looked directly at him and smiled. "Oh that look is very becoming of you, I've never seen you look so fierce and intimidating."

Inwardly Kabuto rolled his eyes. "I'm not so certain I agree with you."

Chuckling once again Orochimaru continued. "Now those naga, well I found six females and approached them as a naga myself. As if turns out I am the only male they've ever seen." He chuckled a bit, the smirk returning to his pale face.

Kabuto felt the sting of something shoot through his system at the thought of the women. Annoyance? No, jealously. He kept his gaze forward at the castle and forced away any tone in his voice. "Is that so? How is it you are the only male they've ever seen? How were they staying alive?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Orochimaru started forward towards the castle. "Oh I didn't bother to ask. They didn't seem so interested in telling me as much as they were...getting to know me. I almost ended up a hostage there. They did offer me the life of a king to stay with them." He continued chuckling to himself as they neared the front gates.

Kabuto nodded before humming softly. "Well I'm pleased you declined the...generous offer. Too much would have been left behind." With a bitter thought he finished in his head 'including me.' He would keep that to himself though. Keeping a straight face he watched as one of the devils on patrol looked over at Kabuto viciously, growling and baring his fangs. Thankfully Kabuto had picked up on a bit of the body language there. It seemed to be a big part of how these things comunicated.

Responding accordingly, he planted his feet, spread his wings, bared his new fangs, growled with a deep jungle cat like growl that didn't belong to him, and pinned back the long pointed ears against his head.

The devil stopped in his tracks and roared out. "Zakaro! Where have you been you old fool!"

Kabuto inwardly cringed at the shout but knew he had to respond the way any of those other creatures would. "That is none of your concern, now get out of my way!" God, what a savage way to behave.

The devil complied and moved aside for him and Orochimaru, unknowing he had just allowed a spy into their castle. Once out of earshot he sighed and shook his head.

"Impressive, you were paying attention," Orochimaru mused. Kabuto smiled a little to himself, knowing he meant the acting skills.

Eventually as they neared the chambers where Lucifer resided. Staying behind, Kabuto remained out of sight but moved about as if he were patrolling the area, listening carefully. He could heard the footsteps stop as Orochimaru spoke out to him. "I have come with what you asked for."

From where he was moving he could see Lucifer's face. A pleasant smile formed as he tilted his head and moved closer to Orochimaru. "Oh have you now so soon? Impressive." His gaze moved from orochimaru to the kunoichi, who was too frightened to even make a peep, even going as far as to try to back away against Orochimaru, bumping into his chest a bit. "Now who is this we have here?"

The sannin shoved the woman towards Lucifer as he caught her by the arm, glancing her over like a hungry predator. "Take her, you said you liked the shy quiet types when we last spoke. She fits fairly well. As for the soul do you have a body ready?" He paused long enough to offer him the tagged kunai. Lucifer tilted his head a bit but accepted the small weapon.

"You'll need it, I'll explain it to you."

Lucifer nodded once and passed the woman over to the great serpent that was coiled up somewhat behind him. Catching the woman in the coils, the serpent began to slither away with her struggling form. Inclining his head towards the wall Kabuto could barely make out the body of a man that was bound against the wall. "That I do."

Orochimaru nodded his head and motioned to him. "Take the body down, it needs to be on the ground for this. A coffin will appear on top of him."

Lucfier seemed a bit confused by this but in fact took the body from the walls, laying it out across the floor. Kabuto moved aside a bit more to watch as Orochimaru pierced his own pal, drawing quite a bit of blood from the pale skin. Then he proceeded to make the proper hand signs, before a coffin did in fact appear in a cloud of smoke over where the body was.

Lucifer's eyes narrowed as he looked at the coffin, his expression puzzled. Orochimaru nodded to him and folded his arms loosely over his chest. "There we go, you're powerful soul is in that box. Place the kunai in the back of his head, that way you can control him."

Kabuto watched silently as the devil lord placed the kunai knife in the back of Hashirama's head, his eyes full of a curious gleam. He wondered briefly what was going through the king's mind but couldn't tell from the lack of reaction.

Orochimaru then spoke up to him, catching his attention. "His name is Hashirama Senju. He was the only person to learn wood release techniques. An incredibly difficult and powerful series of techniques to learn. His strength rivaling that of my own."

Lucifer nodded his head but Kabuto could tell from looking, the king didn't seem all that impressed. Probably because Hashirama didn't exactly look powerful. "Well in that case, surely we can find a place for him in our happy little abode...now then." He looked up from the former hokage and glanced directly at Kabuto as he was moving past the door again on his 'patrol.' "Zakaro...come."

Kabuto's breath nearly caught but he managed to hold his nerve. Keeping his features submissive he walked into the room, looking at the king curiously. However what he saw wasn't exactly what he wanted to see. Something in those golden orbs. At first he was afraid he had been found out, the way he was looking at him. Only his fears were pushed aside when he spoke again. "Take our new member to the guards below the stairs for me, request cell b...he will need to be worked with you know."

Kabuto nodded his now heavy head silently before turning to escort Hashirama as requested. Before he got too far away from the door he heard the king mutter what sounded like the word 'peculiar' out loud. Peculiar? What did that mean? Had he not played his character right? Surely not, surely not, there wasn't one of those creatures he had seen yet to back mouth that man. He shook his fears aside once more, scolding himself for getting so worked up. He played this part one too many times in the past, spy work and what not, to get so anxious now.

On his way back up the stairs he stopped a bit further from the door than last time, so not to get caught and called into the room again. That was too risky. It was then he caught the end of a sentence as the men were talking again.

"We are in fact finished for the moment." The moment? What on earth did that mean? They had done everything he said, what did he mean by that?

Orochimaru also sounded concerned as he asked him. "For the moment? Just what do you mean by that?"

Kabuto listened as the devil chuckled deeply. He grew fearful for his boss right then but pressed his back against the wall, listening carefully.

"I'm sorry, did you think you were getting off scott free? I'm afraid that when you made a pact with me you sealed your own fate my friend. Those who call upon my help intentionally or no, they are forever bound with me. In fact, should I so chose, you wouldn't even be permitted to leave here."

Kabuto felt his blood boil but once again reined his emotions in. How dare him...just who did he think he was!

Orochimaru voiced his own complaints quite clearly. "What are you playing at! We made a deal and I help up my end of the bargain! I should be free from this!"

Once again that laughter rang out. The deep voice like a bell, almost inviting but Kabuto knew better, oh too well. This thing truly was a monster.

"You humans are all the same you know that? Not one of them ever suspects. To strike a deal with me is to invite me. You called upon my help so there for I can call upon yours. It's really quite simple. Don't worry, the tasks are most simple and I wouldn't be cruel enough to force you into consistent servitude, only occasional. I believe that is most fair."

Kabuto felt sick to his stomach. How the hell could this have happened! Surely there was a way out! This was Orochimaru! He was the strongest, most brilliant man he had ever known! He helped him, gave him a home and a purpose, was his best friend! He couldn't just sit by and let such a thing happen to him! He was too good to be something as simple as some creatures slave! He wouldn't stand for it! No...surely Orochimaru could talk his way out of this. He inhaled deeply, to calm himself down and listened in again. The last thing that needed to happen was Kabuto bursting in their guns blazing and ruining whatever chance Orochimaru had of getting out.

He heard his boss speaking again, his voice was laced with venom and building rage. "Is there no way that I can break and be rid of this? I did what was asked of me now release me! Surely there is something I can do!"

Lucfier once again chuckled. It was so condescending. It made Kabuto want to vomit just how arrogant this monster was, how much pleasure he was probably getting from this. "Now don't get so hotheaded, it's unbecoming. You will not be rid of that seal unless I permit it. Now...I thought you said you were in a hurry to leave oh great sannin?"

Kabuto shook his head, officially sickened by this. This wasn't supposed to be how it ended. His anger was interrupted and replaced with worry when Orochimaru stormed past him, fists clenched and seething. Hurriedly he began following him out of the castle. Once they were far enough away and back to the hills where they began he stood there with him silently. He wanted so much to say something to comfort him but what could be said?

The hope was crushed when his boss swore loudly and reeled back, shattering a rather large boulder with a single blow. However childish it was it was completely understandable in this sense. The rage could be almost felt radiating off of him. Now was the time to say something, anything. "He shouldn't have been able to do that. Once a deal has been meet it should have been over." That seal should have been gone. Only it seemed a lot of 'should haves' were being meet with some sort of loophole.

However the rage only seemed to grow. Orochimaru shook his head and almost tried to growl the frustrations out. "I can't even fathom what he's going to do to me."

Kabuto had never felt so hopeless in all of his life. How could he calm him down when he was like this? He obviously wasn't thinking rationally so it was now up to him before he could have a nuclear meltdown. Eventually Orochimaru sat down in the grass and sighed out in frustration. Kabuto lowered himself to his knees beside of him. Everything that was coming to his mind to say the man already knew, and that would only set him off even more so.

It took a few moments but finally his mind began hatching up ideas. None of them sounded safe or even good but he finally settled for one. Perhaps with Orochimaru's permission he could..."Sir I...I have a suggestion if I may." He watched as his boss glanced over to him in anger, looking more like a child that found out he had detention.

Kabuto lowered his gaze at the glare, feeling worried all over again at how angry he was. He didn't want him snapping or even busting a vessel at this. Please let him be doing and saying the right things, please. He wanted to make suggestions to help rather than empty 'it'll be okays.' "If I can stay behind here, for two days, I could try to gain some sort of information about that seal. I think he was lying when he said that the only way it could be broken was if he simply willed it. Something like that can't be so cut and dry. There has to be more to it that he doesn't want you to know." He watched him carefully, praying that he had said the right thing.

He gasped when Orochimaru suddenly shot out and grabbed his face, pulling him closely till they were almost nose to nose. He stared up into his seething eyes, silent as a rabbit that had been face to face with a serpent. He had never before faced this amount of rage and it was unnerving.

"So help me if you get caught while you're doing this, I won't bail you out again! Souls of that merit don't come from nowhere Kabuto!"

"I know," he squeaked. "I won't fail you I swear it! Just meet me right here in two days, I'll try to find something, anything." He wanted so badly to help him and it it meant dancing with the devil, he would with his head held high.

His face was thankfully released as his boss did seem somewhat calmer. "Then do it. I'm going home and I'm going to try hard not to cut off my own hand."

Kabuto sighed and nodded at the hopefully exaggerated statement. Surely he wouldn't go that far, surely he knew the curse wasn't just in his hand. "Alright, I'm going back to try to find something." He promised himself if he didn't find it in two days he would stay for as long as he had to. He wouldn't fail, not again. It was his fault they were in this predicament in the first place. Had he just not gotten himself caught. He watched as his boss activated the amethyst again and disappeared, leaving him alone in the pits of hell.


	4. Discontinued

Well sadly enough since it seems the story isn't taking too well to the public, I will go ahead and announce this story has officially been discontinued. Thank you for the few who did happen to read it but I will begin work on something else.


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